BPM Wizard - User Manual
BPM Wizard is a Max for Live Device to manipulate the Tempo of Ableton Live and connected Link Devices indipendently from each other.
Overview
- the Reference Tempo: all other Tempi are subdivisions of this Tempo
- Switch the Host Tempo
- Switch the Link Tempo
- Switching & Fading behaviour & Play Button (it’s recomended to Start & Stop Live over this button instead of teh global transport. when you have Ableton Link enabled)
- Ableton Link: here you can activate Ableton Link inside the Device.
here you can set the Offset / Drift between the Host and the Ableton Link 6. Tempo & you can store the offset into one of the four Presets - Tempo 4 has an additional option, to modulate the Tempo by an LFO driven Envelope within a certain tempo range.
Set up the Device
first of all, this is an Audio Device and it’s recomended to use this Device on a Separate Track, where no Audio is routed trough.
Set the Subdivisions of the Reference Tempo
On every Sub Tempo, you are able to set the division by:
- Note Values
- Multiplicate
- Divide
Remote Control BPM Wizard
You have different options to switch to another tempo. You can Midi Map it to an controller or you can automate it through an Ghostclip, via automation or via Clip Names.
For this you can map a Tab (1) via automations or by Clip Name commands (2) by a clip, where you can switch through the differnet tempi and you can map a single Tempo (3) to a controller.
Automation
Here you can control the Tempo change by a Clip Automation, it’s possible to map this Tab a controller as well, but it’s not recommended to use it with a Fader or Rotary Dial to switch through the Tempi.
Clip Names
You can also change the tempo or subdivision via clip names. It’s similar like the native function where you can change the tempo inside the scenes.
that the clip name command is recognized by the BPM Wizard Device, you have always type in “bpm” or “wiz” if it’s followed by a number this will be set the Reference tempo. This looks like something like this:
[bpm 110] -> this will switch the reference tempo to 110
You can also select the subdivisions for the host and for link, the command looks like this:
[bpm hr l2] -> means, switch host reference = hr & link tempo 2 = l2
the following commands you have for Host Tempo:
hr = host reference
h1 = Tempo 1
h2 = Tempo 2
h3 = Tempo 3
h4 = Tempo 4 / Modulation
Link Tempo:
lr = host reference
l1 = Tempo 1
l2 = Tempo 2
l3 = Tempo 3
l4 = Tempo 4 / Modulation
You can use them also in combination, like when you want to switch the Reference Tempo to 130, the Link Tempo to Tempo 3 and the Host should not be touched, the command is:
[bpm 130 l3] - there’s no need to type something for the Host Tempo, like h2 or hr
Midi Controller / Keyboard
these Buttons can be mapped to an Key Shortcut or via Midi to an external Controller
Switch between Tempi
To switch between the Tempi you have different options. To switch tehm immediatly, quantised or fade from one tempo into another.
If Ableton Link is enabled and you could have two diffent tempi and it’s in the nature of things that they will loose the sync, depending on what you have set here.
For this there’s also an option to re-sync the Host to the Ableton Link network -> please read about the syncing possibilities below.
how to use Ableton Link with BPM Wizard?
If Ableton Link is activated inside the Device, it will be deactivated in Ableton Live itself. Depending in which mode you switch between the tempi you can easily get out of sync between teh host and the Linked Devices.
for this you can re-sync the host and the link network.
You can choose between 4 syncing options:
- manually: in this mode the host won’t be synced until you activate the sync button by hand
- sync on bpm change: the host will only be synced automatically, if one Tempo is changed
- sync on offset change: the host will only be synced automatically, when the offset is changed
- sync on offset & tempo change: the host will be synced automatically, when a tempo has changed or the offset has changed. (default)
Tempo Modulation
With the Tempo Modulation it’s possible to mess up with your Tempo completely. But in combination with the Link Tempo it gives you the possibility to have one straight Tempo and one modulated tempo, for example with percussions etc. also if you run a 2nd Ableton Live machine you can make some interesting patternes with Clips, depending how the Warp mode is set.
What you should know (please read)
While handling the Master Tempo and resyncing Ableton Live, there are of course some things that are good to know and to take care about while using this Device.
Depending on the Settings, like switch immediatly or fade the Host & Link Tempo could go out of sync.
- When you resync the Host manualy, there can occour a little jump, every time you sync it.
- when hitting global Start/Stop and Link is enables in the Device, there’s also a little jump in the sound until it’s synced.
- when it’s resynced and working in the arrangement, the palyhead is jumping always on the start possition.